Applicants' device consists of a device directly related to the controlled dispensing of articles and which is particularly designed for the dispensing of drugs and medications to hospital in-patients. At present, drug and medication dispensing for such patients includes a qualified attendant to carry articles to the patients or for the ambulatory patients to come to a dispensing clinic. In either instance this process is time consuming and very often results in the patient receiving the wrong or excessive dosages. With the device that applicants' provide, a mobile unit is provided which will carry the entire medication for a group of persons and the unit is programmed or a program and selector arrangement is provided such that the operator thereof simply selects the proper arrangement of switch positions and the drugs or other medication is delivered. This arrangement does not permit the operator to visually inspect the material being delivered until delivery.
In use, the unit will be filled by one person and the selection and delivery made by another person with the programming for each individual recipient being provided by still a third person, primarily the patients doctor. With the problems of narcotic and other drug misuses, this system will provide a checking arrangement and will insure delivery of the proper medication to a patient.
The prior art illustrates numerous vending machine devices which provide various means for selecting a desired article, delivery of the same and advancement of the next article for distribution. These devices normally include arrangements where the article storage requires mechanical advancement and the product is normally visible to the purchaser or user. With applicants' unit, the advancement of the supply of arcticles is obtained through a gravity feed and the articles are not normally visible nor accessible to the recipient. With the device as provided herein the alignment of a feeding or loading door with a delivery door and the means for maintaining this alignment with a selected article storage section are also believed to be new.
It is therefore an object of applicants' invention to provide a dispensing device particularly directed to the dispensing of drugs or other medications.
It is a further object of applicants' invention to provide a dispensing device wherein the selection of articles for delivery is remotely programmed such that the recipient does not have a visual inspection of the article prior to delivery.
It is still a further object of applicants' invention to provide a dispensing device wherein the articles to be delivered from the unit are advanced into delivery position by gravity and wherein the delivery mechanism permits the delivery of one such selected article while physically retaining the remaining articles.
It is yet a further object of applicants' invention to provide a mobile dispensing device arranged to store and delivery a number of selected articles which may be of various sizes.
It is still a further object of applicants' invention to provide a tamper proof device for the dispensing of drugs and other medications for patients requiring the same.